| 1971 – 8 year-old Lou DelBianco discovers brochure on Mount Rushmore on a table at his Port Chester, New York home. After learning of his grandfather Luigi DelBianco’s role as Chief Carver, Lou takes the brochure as show and tell item to Park Avenue School. |
| 1987 – Lou and his uncle and son of Luigi DelBianco, Caesar Del Bianco, read The Carving of Mount Rushmore by Rex Alan Smith and find Luigi Del Bianco is not mentioned. |
| 1988 – Lou’s first pilgrimage to Mount Rushmore reveals and confirms proof to support the reality that his Grandfather was more than a “worker”. He learned more of Luigi’s major role. |
1989 – Lou and Caesar drive to Washington D.C. to do research. Caesar finds documents from the Borglum Papers that prove his father's great importance on the mountain. Lifted from research:
JULY 30, 1935 Re-organization No. 2William Tallman
Please post this in the dining room for the men. All drilling of all kinds, roughing, finishing and carving of features must be directed by the chief stone carver and his directions followed. The chief carver will be held responsible for the ways and the means for removing and finishing the sculpture.… I have appointed Luigi Bianco for this most important task. |
1990 – Lou and Caesar return to Washington for further research. During their time, more documents are discovered:
AUGUST 26, 1936 (telegram)
… BIANCO CHIEF CARVER GETTING HIGHEST WAGES ON SCHEDULE STOP |
| 1990 – Lou and Caesar interview Matt Reilly, a worker and friend who was trained by Luigi. Matt confirms that Luigi was the best carver and “the only carver on the mountain”. |
1991 – Third trip to Washington for further research, when Lou and Caesar uncover the most exciting document:
JULY 1935
… He is worth any three men I could find in America, for this particular type of work, here and now, but Mount Rushmore is not managed that way and doesn’t want that kind of service. He entirely out-classed everyone on the hill, and his knowledge was an embarrassment to their amateur efforts and lack of knowledge, lack of experience and lack of judgment. He is the only man besides myself who has been on the work who knows the problems and how to instantly solve them. His absence is a great loss to this work this year.… The loss of Bianco will probably prevent the finishing of the Washington and Jefferson heads this year. |
| 1991 – Gloria and Vincent Del Bianco (siblings and children of Luigi DelBianco) attend the 50th anniversary of the completion of Mount Rushmore. Gloria videotapes George Rumple, another worker trained by Luigi who said Luigi “was a genius and he could have finished the mountain himself if he needed to”. |
| 1992-2000 – Caesar Del Bianco gives a series of lectures about his father and his contribution to Mount Rushmore. |
| 2009 – Lou creates a web site about his grandfather to share the previously untold story. Lou dedicates the site to his uncle Caesar, who passed away earlier that year. |
| 2010 – Lou writes a live one-man show about Luigi and performs it through-out the tri state (NY/NJ/CT) area. In July, He is a speaker at the national meeting for UNICO, the largest Italian American service organization in the country. Lou also writes a screenplay entitled, “In the Shadow of the Mountain”. |
| 2011 – Lou is invited to Mount Rushmore to perform his one-man show in July. He and his wife Camille write a book based on Lou’s screenplay. Lou performs his one-man show for the Westchester Italian Cultural Center as part of their “Immigrants of Westchester” exhibit and is invited to participate and be showcased at the exhibit in October of 2011. |
